Oscars to take place at London’s BFI as well as in LA so British nominees can attend

Part of the Oscars will take place in London this year, so that UK-based nominees can attend.

The Academy Awards are set to take place in under two weeks’ time from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, but the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has caused a bit of a headache for organisers.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) initially announced that Zoom acceptance speeches would not be accepted, but there was outrage from non-US based nominees  that couldn’t travel to LA due to restrictions.

Now, according to Variety, Ampas has secured the British Film Institute (BFI) as one of its international hubs, so British nominees like Carey Mulligan, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Olivia Colman, Riz Ahmed, Gary Oldman, Vanessa Kirby and Emerald Fennell can attend. 

Daniel Kaluuya, who is a favourite to win best supporting actor for his role in Judas and the Black Messiah, is already in Los Angeles, while Sacha Baron Cohen is believed to be in Sydney. 

The BFI on London’s Southbank, which is popular with red carpet events like the BFI London Film Festival, will hold a studio event where nominees can attend with one guest.

Attendees will have to take at least two Covid-19 tests before the ceremony, and guests from outside the UK will also need to quarantine for 10 days.

The event will be held in the early hours of Monday, April 26, to account for the time difference with Los Angeles.

However, while Ampas has struck a deal with the BFI, it is believed organisers will still need special permission from the government, as ‘attendees converging on and congregating in a site for a specific discrete performance or activity’ are still banned by coronavirus regulations.,

The Academy has also teamed up with Canal Plus for its local studio in Paris for a second international hub, which will host seven nominees, including The Father director Florian Zeller. 

However, things will be even stricter here due to Covid-19 restrictions in France at the moment.

Unlike London, nominees can’t bring any guests and will have to attend by themselves, and no food or drink will be served. 

The Oscars have attempted to avoid the over-Zoom process of the Golden Globes, SAG Awards and Baftas by having many of the nominees at the LA event in person.

So far, 15 stars have been announced to host and present the winners, including last year’s acting winners Joaquin Phoenix, Renée Zellweger, Brad Pitt and Laura Dern and the reigning best director, Parasite’s Bong Joon-Ho.

Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Moreno, Reese Witherspoon and Zendaya have also been confirmed.

Nomadland is the favourite to snatch best picture after winning best film at the Golden Globes and the Baftas.

The Oscars take place on Sunday, April 25. 

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